Love Can Be A Wonderful Thing
by BHappy107
Summary: Lily is determined that love does not exist, after seeing the people she is close to getting hurt repeatedly. Then, James comes into her life and shows her that love can be a wonderful thing...
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the characters I make up.  
  
Prologue:  
  
Since she was little, Lily Evans had always been after the perfect life. She wanted it all. The perfect job, a nice house in the country with a white picket fence and a wonderful husband who she loved. However, as she grew older and wiser, Lily realized that some things weren't meant to be. Especially the part about a husband who loved her.  
  
Debra Evans, mother to Lily and Petunia Evans, was what the gossiping neighbors would call a "broken woman". Her husband, whom Debra thought she was in love with at the ripe age of 19, was a cruel person. He had a serious drinking problem and often cheated on Debra. When Lily was just seven years old, he left them forever. Lily would always secretly wish that her father would come back one day, as a wonderful person, and her family would be perfect, but sadly, that wish never came true.  
  
Three years later, the sadness inflicted upon her from her husband's departure caught up with Debra. She committed suicide, leaving Lily and Petunia all alone in the world. They were taken by Social Services and were sent to live with their grandparents, Jeannie and Charles Evans (A/N: father's side). Life was fine with Jeannie and Charles. They were loving, caring people who took good care of Lily and Petunia.  
  
At this point, after seeing what happened to her parents' marriage, Lily no longer believed in love and she was no longer after the perfect life. Now, all she wanted was to prove to the world that she wasn't a screw-up. She immersed herself in her studies and isolated herself from the world.  
  
When she was 11, Lily Evans was in for a surprise when she received a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Charles and Jeannie were a little uncertain, but nevertheless, allowed her to go. Lily saw this as the perfect opportunity to start over, at a school where no one knew what her family was like or what she had been through.  
  
To her dismay, the people at Hogwarts were just like everyone else. Although this time it wasn't due to her family problems, many looked down on Lily because her parents were muggles, or non-magic. But, everybody wasn't like this. It was mainly the people from the house, of which there were four, called Slytherin. Lily was determined not to let this stop her. She was hard working and very studious, which paid off as she was named number one in the class, year after year.  
  
In her third year, Lily, like all hormone-driven thirteen year olds, began feeling attracted to members of the opposite sex. However, still feeling sadness about her mother's death, Lily vowed to stay away from boys. Unfortunately, her two best friends Tessa and Ashley did not do the same.  
  
As the years went by, Lily saw both of them come home after dates, sometimes happy, sometimes upset. When they broke up with their boyfriends, she saw the hurt in their eyes and promised herself that she would never let it happen to her. She observed how much damage a little thing called love could cause.  
  
Now, Lily was a very good-looking girl with her long red hair and striking green eyes. She received many date offers and politely refused them all. Tessa and Ashley begged her to give all the handsome boys who asked her out a chance. Lily always found a way to redirect the conversation away from the topic and avoid the subject. After years of begging, Tessa and Ashley finally gave up and chose to accept that that was just the way Lily was.  
  
In her seventh and final year at Hogwarts, Lily begins to reconsider the decision she made. A certain raven-haired boy helps her to see that love can be a truly wonderful thing. He helps her to come out of her shell and face her fears. This is the story of Lily Evans and James Potter...  
  
A/N: Review!! I really want to see whether I am doing a good job or not! Constructive criticism is appreciated! 


	2. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the characters I make up.  
  
Chapter One

"LILY! GET DOWN HERE! THERE'S ANOTHER STUPID OWL FOR YOU", yelled Petunia from downstairs.  
  
Lily sighed to herself, heading down the stairs. Petunia was never going to like her, no matter what she did. She had tried her best to be nice to Petunia this summer. She had even offered to perform a simple charm that would make Petunia's hair sleek and shiny, unlike the frizzy mess it was. But she still resented Lily for being a witch.  
  
She took the letter from the owl, placing some coins into a small pouch around the owl's foot. Tearing it open, she was surprised to see two pieces of paper fall out, along with a silver badge.  
  
_Ms. Lily Evans,  
  
Congratulations! You have been selected as Head Girl for you seventh year at Hogwarts. Along with the Head Boy, you will be given great responsibility. You will be in charge of organizing school dances, clubs and weekend visits to Hogsmeade. In addition to this, you will have the option of staying in a private dormitory, shared by the Head Boy. This is a very prestigious role and I am sure you will take it seriously. Your first meeting will involve giving the prefects their duties. Please meet in the front compartment of the train on your way to the school. I look forward to seeing you in school.  
  
Sincerely,  
  
Headmaster Albus Dumbledore  
_  
Lily smiled to herself. Her last year at Hogwarts was going to be absolutely perfect. She hummed to herself, while buttering her toast. Petunia glared at her, but even she couldn't get Lily in a bad mood today.  
  
"Grandma, is it all right if I go visit Tessa today?  
  
An elderly, tired woman turned to face Lily and said, "Sure." When her granddaughter had first gone away to Hogwarts, Jeannie had been skeptical. But now, she had grown used to owls interrupting their breakfast. Lily had even helped out around the house by charming the vacuum cleaner to go on its own and the dishes to do themselves. "Just be back before curfew sweetie."  
  
"Ok, thanks Grandma." Lily disappeared with a crack.  
  
A second later, she arrived in Tessa's room. "Morning Tess, what do you wanna do today?" She sat down on the bed, making herself at home. Tessa looked a bit uncomfortable. "Um, Lils, do you think you could come back la--?" She was interrupted by a deep male voice calling from the bathroom.  
  
"Tessa, do you have an extra toothbrush I could borrow", called the familiar voice of Sirius Black. He came out of the bathroom wearing only his boxers. Seeing Lily, he froze.  
  
"Um, hi Lily" he paused. "Uh, how's your summer been", he said awkwardly.  
  
"Oh, uh, hi Sirius." She turned to Tessa, who turned a deep shade of red. "Uh Tess, could I talk to you alone for a sec."  
  
"Yeah sure." She hopped out of bed, in a t-shirt and her underwear and met Lily in the hallway.  
  
"Tess!" Lily said in a hushed whisper. "Sirius Black? What were you thinking? Do your parents know he's here?"  
  
"Lils, I don't know. He took me out dancing, and one thing led to another." Tessa sighed, leaning her head against the wall. "He's actually very sweet." Lily rolled her eyes. "As for my parents, hell no! Are you kidding me? They decided to take a vacation in northern France. I decided not to go."  
  
"Oh okay." She peered back into the room, where Sirius was sitting on the bed impatiently. "Sorry I interrupted. I'm gonna go visit Ashley."  
  
"That's okay. But Ashley's not at home, don't you remember? She's working at Zonko's this summer. Why don't you go visit her? I bet Potter is driving her crazy." (A/N: Both Ashley and James got summer jobs at Zonko's Joke Shop)  
  
"All right, I'll save her from Potter."  
  
"Okay, Bye." Lily disapparated.  
  
She appeared in Hogsmeade, in front of the joke shop. (A/N: Can't remember if Zonko's is in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade. Sorry if I'm wrong.)  
  
Ashley, a short pretty girl with dark brown hair, caught Lily's eye and waved. Lily went inside, and Ashley came out from behind the cash register.  
  
"Hey Lils."  
  
James, who was behind the register counting money, heard Lily's name and his ears perked up. He came out and stood next to Ashley.  
  
"Yeah, hey Lils." "So Ashley, is Potter driving you crazy?"  
  
"Oh my gosh, YES! He keeps pestering the customers."  
  
"Hey, you call it pestering, I call it sales pitch."  
  
They all laughed at him. "So Ashley, can I talk to you alone for a sec?"  
  
"Yeah sure, Potter, don't break anything", Ashley called out over her shoulder.  
  
"Who, me?" He asked innocently.  
  
Lily smiled, as they walked off.  
  
"So, what's up?"  
  
"Oh my gosh Ash, did you know Tess and Sirius are together?"  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah", said Lily, recapping the incident that took place this morning. She was in the middle of explaining when James interrupted.  
  
"Ladies", he said innocently, putting his arms around their shoulders, "Why don't we take a break? My shift is over."  
  
"Yeah Potter, but mine isn't over for another 2 hours", replied Ashley.  
  
"What a shame," he said apologetically, an evil glint in his eyes. "Oh well, I guess that just leaves Evans and me. Evans, what do you say me and you go down to the Three Broomsticks and have ourselves some drinks."  
  
Ashley smiled, understanding what Potter was up to. His arms still around her shoulder, Lily glared at Ashley. She could only laugh.  
  
"So, Evans. How about you and me go out tonight? We could go to this new club in London. Sirius taught me this new spell that can make us fake Ids."  
  
This was the part Lily hated, turning him down. "Sorry Pott—," she started.  
  
He sighed and held up his hand, motioning for her to stop. "I know Evans, you're sorry. You want to but you just can't," James said dejectedly, reciting Lily's trademark rejection speech.  
  
She looked at her watch. "Potter, I gotta go home for lunch. I'll see you at school", she said questioningly.  
  
"Yeah, whatever."  
  
"By the way, do you know if Remus got Head Boy?" She asked, getting up.  
  
"Actually, surprise surprise. I'm Head Boy this year. Guess we'll be living together, huh?" Before he could hear her response, she disapparated with a crack.  
  
Please review and tell me what you think!!


	3. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the characters I make up.  
  
Chapter Two  
  
A/N: Okay, I don't wanna waste any time, so fast forward to the first day of school.  
  
"Tess, so how was your summer?" Ashley asked mischievously.  
  
"It was great," Tessa mumbled, turning a bright shade of red.  
  
"Yeah, I bet it was." Lily said.  
  
At the other end of the table sat James, Sirius and Remus (A/N: I really don't like Peter, so I just got rid of him...hehe)  
  
"So, what happened with you and Lily?" asked Sirius.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, she's kinda been ignoring you", said Remus.  
  
"Yeah" Sirius said in agreement.  
  
James sighed. "Ok, so I ask her out and she gives me that stupid excuse again."  
  
"I'm sorry. I want to, but I just can't" Sirius and Remus recited together.  
  
When James left to go to the bathroom, Sirius whispered, "Moony, we have to get those two together this year."  
  
"Yeah, I know what you mean, but Lily doesn't seem to want to."  
  
"Hmm..."  
  
After the sorting and dinner, Dumbledore led Lily and James up to their dormitory.  
  
"Ms. Evans, Mr. Potter, this", he said, motioning towards a corridor marked Head Boy and Girl, "will be your living quarters. It is not mandatory you live here and you may visit the Gryffindor common tower whenever you wish."  
  
They stepped inside, revealing a roomy common area with comfy couches, a pool table, and a kitchen-like area.  
  
"Wow", Lily whispered.  
  
"Ms. Evans, your room will be up those stairs, to the left, and Mr. Potter you will be tothe right. I'll let you two get settled." And with that, Dumbledore left.  
  
James looked over at Lily. She was like a little kid, visiting Zonko's for the first time. (A/N: like a little kid in a candy store)  
  
"So, what do you wanna do?" He asked awkwardly.  
  
"I'm really tired. I think I'm just gonna go to bed."  
  
"Yeah, okay. Good night."  
  
After she went up to her room, James leaned back on the couch and sighed. He reached in his pocket and pulled out the Marauder's Map. It showed Sirius and Remus waiting outside his room. He lazily got up and let them in.  
  
"Wow James, this is awesome." Sirius remarked. He put down a big box that he had levitated. Inside were bottles and bottles.  
  
"What's all that?"  
  
"Most of its Butterbeer we got from the house-elves. But these" Remus said, motioning towards the blue bottles, "are a bit stronger."  
  
"Gimme one of those blue ones." Remus tossed a bottle to James. He sank into the couch, drinking it quickly.  
  
Sirius glanced at Remus worriedly, who just shrugged his shoulders and joined James.  
  
After a few hours, the three of them were pretty drunk, and shooting pool. Around 2AM, they fell asleep on the floor.  
  
Lily leaned back on her bedpost, flipping through a photo album of when her parents were sill together. They looked so happy. But underneath it all, their relationship was horrible. Lily shuddered, just thinking about it.  
  
The next morning, the sunlight coming in through the windows cause James to wake up. When he tried to stand up, he let out a loud groan. His head hurt so badly and he was dizzy. Before he knew it, he was on the floor again, his eyes shut.  
  
"What the..." Lily said out loud, while brushing her hair. She made her way downstairs only to find three boys sprawled out on the floor, asleep.  
  
"James? Sirius? Remus? You guys, wake up. Its 7:30."  
  
Sirius groaned. He got up, steadying himself against the wall. Slowly, James and Remus got up too and made their way to the couch. They held their heads, while moaning.  
  
Lily walked over to where they were asleep and picked up several bottles. "Were you guys drinking?"  
  
Slowly James nodded, but groaned again. Even moving his head slightly was making it hurt more.  
  
"You guys are idiots."  
  
"Yeah, yeah we know. Now do something about my hangover," begged Sirius.  
  
Lily rolled her eyes, and flicked her wand, muttering a few incoherent words under her breath. Suddenly, they all looked wide-awake.  
  
"Thanks Evans." James said. Sirius and Remus left the dormitory, making their way back to Gryffindor tower to get dressed.  
  
"Boys", she muttered and headed down to breakfast.  
  
A/N: I know, I know this chapter is short. Bear with me; the next chapter will be more interesting. Reviews are greatly appreciated!! 


	4. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the characters I make up.  
  
Chapter Three  
  
Three weeks had gone by since school started. Now that James and Lily were getting used to their new dormitory, every Friday they held parties for their friends. Well actually, James held parties every Friday. Lily usually stayed in her room, reading. Occasionally she would come down, get a few drinks, dance for a while, and then head back up to her room. Tessa had begun spending all her time with Sirius, doing god know what and Ashley met a Hufflepuff boy by the name of Amos Diggory, who she was always with. That left Lily all alone.  
  
That Friday night, Lily could hear the music blasting and people dancing. She groaned to herself. Usually, she was the one who ended up cleaning up after everybody and healing their hangovers. But whatever, she had gotten used to it.  
  
James, surprisingly that night, was not drunk and came up to Lily's room. He gently knocked on the door.  
  
"Come in", he heard Lily say in a tired voice.  
  
"Hey Lils", he said, sitting on her bed. "Why don't you come downstairs and join the party?"  
  
She sighed. "Not right now Potter."  
  
"Okay," he said in a disappointed voice, going back down.  
  
After two hours, Lily was beginning to get bored. What the hell, she thought to herself. She put on her jeans and a fitted white shirt and went down.  
  
Lily was a smart girl. She didn't get drunk, but watched as everyone else in the room (excluding James) did. She made her way across the area designated as the dance floor, where she found James sitting on a couch, not talking to anyone.  
  
He perked up when he saw her. "Hey, wanna get out of here? We'll clean up tomorrow. I told Sirius to send everyone out by 3."  
  
Her instincts told her not to go with him, but she did anyway. "Yeah sure." He grabbed her hand and they went up to her room. James locked the door and sat down next to her on the bed.  
  
Lily closed her eyes for a minutes, opened them and said, "It's pretty crazy down there", referring to the party.  
  
"Yeah. Um, Evans, I mean Lily?" "Yeah?" she said, indicating for him to continue.  
  
"I know you think I'm just doing this to bug you, but I really do want to go out with you sometime. Why don't you just give me a chance?" Lily bit her lip. He sounded so sincere, and yet, Lily had to do it.  
  
She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry Potter. I want to, but I just can't." She prepared herself for his usual response, a 'yeah, whatever' in a dejected voice. But it didn't come.  
  
Instead, he got angry. "You know what, I really don't get you Evans. What did I ever do to you? I mean, I know I've made a few jokes about you, but I didn't do anything to make you hate me", he said, his voice getting louder with every word.  
  
"I, um, do you want to know the real reason?" Lily sighed. He deserved to know. James nodded.  
  
"I don't want to get hurt." She said simply.  
  
"That's it?"  
  
"Um, yeah. What were you expecting?"  
  
"I don't know. But really Evans, that's it? You don't wanna get hurt? For crying out loud Evans, have you EVER been out on a date?"  
  
"I, uh..."  
  
"Evans, answer me. You're seventeen years old and you've never been out on a date. What do you possibly know about getting hurt?"  
  
This angered Lily. She stood up, yelling, "Don't tell me I don't know anything about getting hurt Potter. You don't know A THING about my life, okay? My mom killed herself because my father hurt her. And for the past 4 years, I have seen how Tessa and Ashley are after they got dumped. So don't you dare tell me I don't know anything about getting hurt."  
  
Listening to Evans yell, James' expression softened. "I'm sorry Evans. But you know what? You can't spend your entire life hiding, just because you're afraid of what's out there. I'm not going to lie to you. Yeah Evans, you probably will get hurt sometime or another. But trust me, it's worth the sacrifice. If you just let yourself be loved, you're gonna get so much more in return."  
  
"I don't want anything in return. I just want to live my life without worrying about being loved. Potter, I can handle not being loved. But I can't handle getting hurt."  
  
"No, see, that's where you're wrong. You're stronger than you think. Getting hurt might seem like a big deal, but trust me; you'll get over it. But not being loved? Oh boy. If you don't let yourself be loved, well, you're missing out on the greatest thing in life. And later in life, you'll regret it. You really will." He paused. "You gotta take bigger risks to get bigger rewards.  
  
Seeing the look on her face, he stopped. "Okay, I'm gonna go, um, end the party. I'll see you later."  
  
After he left, Lily laid in her bed for hours, crying. She thought and thought about what he said. Maybe he was right. Who was she kidding? She knew he was right. She couldn't spend her life hiding.  
  
The next morning, she came down to find the common room spotless. Lily turned to the couch, where James lay asleep. He looked exhausted. She sat down next to him.  
  
"James?" she said softly.  
  
He recognized her voice at one. "Evans?"  
  
"Yeah." She affectionately rubbed his forehead. "Sorry I didn't come down and help you."  
  
"Oh that's okay. Hey Lily?" He said, as she began to get up.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You know what I said last night?" She nodded. "Well, I'm sorry I was so harsh. It was just...I don't know. I was just angry about something else and I took it all out on you."  
  
Lily took a deep breath and sat back down next to him. "Its okay James. You know what? You were absolutely right. About everything."  
  
A/N: Okay, so that's end of this chapter. Don't worry, James will ask her out soon enough. I love the reviews! Keep 'em coming!! 


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